A family in Orissas Talajaagar hamlet is nurturing a bear which got separated from its mother in the village.
By Sarada Lahangir
Talajaagar (Orissa), May 8 : A family in Orissa's Talajaagar hamlet is nurturing a bear which got separated from its mother in the village.
The two-year-old was accompanying its mother when both entered the village from jungles but were soon chased away by the scared villagers. The cub bear could not keep pace with its mother, and hence, was left behind.
"One night a female bear had come to our village with her two cubs. People started chasing it away with the aid of dogs. This cub being too small was left behind, so I decided to take it to my home to save it from the dogs," said Manasi Purty, who has adopted the cub.
Manasi's family has since adopted the bear cub and christened it 'Krishna' after the Lord Krishna. It is treated as family's son.
The cub has also accepted its guardians.
"The bear cub stays with us only. We have tried to leave it in the forest but it returns every time. We feed it with milk," Manasi Purty, the woman who has adopted the cub," she added.
Though a wild animal, he is very gentle and docile and is quite a hit with the villagers.
"Though the bear is a wild animal, this one is very gentle and does not harm anybody. We play with it a lot. Every morning, it goes into the forest unaccompanied but comes back like an obedient child," said Lokeshwar Munda, a villager.
Sloth bear is commonly found in India and in the lowland forests of Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
ANI